“Who in the hell are you?” the officer yelled as Ava stepped out of her hiding place. It was better to make the first move, she reasoned, than be caught cowering in a corner.

She spoke with authority, careful not to betray her inward fright. “Whatever that man did, I’m here to put it right.” She had to reverse whatever her grandad had done. That was the only way to fix the timepiece.

The officer grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. “Well then, you’re going to have to crash the whole damn plan,” he grumbled. “I don’t know how you got on board, but this is a felony.” He shoved her towards a seat on the far side of the hold.

Ava acquiesced numbly. “He saved you?” she asked in shock.

The officer didn’t look happy about it. “The SOB figured something out. Stay here.” He pushed her into the seat and turned back towards the cargo boxes to continue his search.

Ava felt like someone had just dropped an ice cold rock in her gut, and she was sure she'd never hated her grandfather more than in that moment.